Quality

An international research group has published the details of a two-year project to develop reliable ways to assess light-elevated temperature-induced degradation in operational PV modules.

The PV manufacturer says there is a risk of electric shock in some of its solar modules due to defective polyamide backsheets. Products delivered between 2010 and 2012 are affected. According to Schüco, they should be uninstalled and disposed of.

Underwriters Laboratories, a US non-profit standards development organization, will carry out research into the operating and safety profile of Redflow’s redox flow batteries under nominal and off-nominal conditions.

While the government is moving to require foreign modules, inverters, batteries and charge controllers be subject to mandatory testing, the fear is that there are not sufficient testing sites in the country to achieve that ambition.

Scientists in the UK investigated the relationship between two of the most worrisome defects that can affect solar cells in the field – cracking and hotspots. Their work analyzed solar cells with different levels of cracking under varying light conditions, finding that the most severely cracked cells were considerably more likely to run at high temperatures and form damaging hotspots.

The move will encourage private sector renewables companies to be part of the national energy industry, a representative of the regulator told a recent webinar which considered how to accelerate clean energy roll-out in Africa.

A consultation process examining whether legislation is required to ensure the eco credentials of panels and inverters is focusing on eco-design and energy labeling but has also made mention of the need for less carbon intensive manufacturing.

With projects in many PV markets aging past the 10-year mark – with major leaps in technology having occurred in that time – revamping is a popular topic among asset owners. pv magazine spoke with Asier Ukar, general manager of the Spanish subsidiary of German engineering company PI Berlin, to uncover the benefits of revamping PV projects with new components and also to examine the challenges and risks involved.

Welcome to the first day of the pv magazine Roundtable Europe event! We have a packed two-day schedule planned for you comprising four cornerstone issues that will define the industry as it cements itself as a key pillar of the continent’s energy transition: Quality, Asset Management, Sustainability and Made in Europe, and the Innovation Hub: Hydrogen, battery storage, and e-mobility.

Backsheet failures have plagued the industry, causing hefty financial burdens to many asset owners. DuPont has launched a product it says allows for easy repair of modules.